"We agree that we want to get China on our side to put pressure on Russia not to use chemical weapons or nuclear weapons," said the French president on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Macron wants to travel to China from April 4th to 8th.

Scholz said in Brussels that China had also expressly promised not to deliver weapons to Moscow. He called on Chinese leader Xi Jinping not only to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but also to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Xi visited Putin in Moscow this week.

Scholz had already traveled to Beijing in early November. Macron had previously advertised a trip together. However, the chancellor declined, pointing out that it was his inaugural visit.

Macron now recalled that in 2019 he had received both Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for a four-party summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris.

France had basically welcomed a so-called peace plan for Ukraine presented by China in February and at the same time called on Beijing not to supply weapons to Russia under any circumstances.